The second edition of the National Curriculum introduces detailed training sessions and models to enable coaches to deliver the methods central to the implementation of the playing philosophy outlined in the first version in 2009.

FFA CEO David Gallop launched the update today at FFA Headquarters and paid tribute to the architect of the document, FFA National Technical Director, Han Berger.

“How should Australians play football? What skills and style best suite our nation and our hundreds of thousands of players? These are fundamental questions that should engage the minds of everyone involved in the game from the professional tier to the grassroots,” Gallop said.

“The FFA National Football Curriculum not only provides answers, but explains the philosophy behind how we should play and illustrates practical steps that bring the thinking to life in training and matches.

“The first version of the National Curriculum in 2009 was a breakthrough in setting out a broad agenda, but this second version is presented in a way that will resonate in schools, clubs, academies and elite development pathways, in fact anywhere football is played.”

Gallop congratulated Han Berger and his Technical Department for providing the philosophy and framework to help the hundreds of thousands of Australian football players and coaches enjoy the sport and learn the key technical and tactical foundations.

Han Berger said he was proud to present the second edition, titled the “FFA National Football Curriculum: The Roadmap to International Success”, as his parting legacy to the Australian football community.

“Although there have been many positive developments since the introduction of the first National Football Curriculum in 2009, the understanding of it in the broader football community can still be much improved, especially at grassroots level,” Berger said.

“This new version is aimed at a fundamental transformation of the way football is played and coached in Australia, especially at youth level, in order to develop future generations of players and teams that will enable Australia to maintain a leading position in world football, particularly within the Asian Football Confederation.”

“On a practical level, it also contains Model Sessions for every phase and explains how to design sessions and plan six-week training cycles for a season.

“I hope this new version of the National Football Curriculum will create a better understanding of what high quality youth coaching is about and therefore help to dramatically raise the standard of our game at grassroots level.